this is a big problem for travelers from northern california all the way to the pacific northwest. we're talking about what's going to feel like in a sense a hurricane, but it is really a winter storm, a massive one coming in. heavy rain, strong winds, and a lot of rain out of this system. you can see in the next 24 hours, the rain continues to stream in, and not just one to two inches of rain. we're talking about double digit amounts of rain, anywhere from 5 to 12 inches of rain, snowfall 8 plus in the cascade, inner mountain region. we have winter storm warnings, high wind warnings, flood watches, high wind watches stretching northern california to the pacific northwest, and it is going to continue right into the middle of the week, and it is going to be a mess both for airports and roads as well. matt? >> al, thank you very much. >>> the president is traveling overseas to start the week, but hoping democrats and republicans back in washington are hard at work on a compromise to avoid the looming fiscal cliff. so what's at stake if they can't? jim cramer, hose of "mad money" join